You Caught Me Off Guard
by Zoete9
Summary: Zoro really doesn't want to talk about Thriller Bark and he can't think of a single good reason for why that is. So, altogether, this whole royally screwed up situation doesn't make much sense. Because Luffy sure as hell doesn't want to talk about Marine Ford either.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

**Well, here's something spontaneous and new for me. Behold, the first chapter of a ZoLu fic inspired by the song ****_Hero/Heroine by Boys Like Girls _****that eventually just snowballed horrifically into something that wasn't even ****_close_**** to what I first imagined. My fingers were, quite literally, possessed the entire time. That said, I really hope I don't butcher this. Oh! And one tiny detail: this is somewhere after the Time Skip, but I didn't set a definite time. **

**Rated T for quite a bit of language because, well, Sanji's included here. And it's One Piece; it just fits.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, obviously. **

**Warning: **Spoilers for anyone not caught up to the aftermath of the Marine Ford arc.**

**A massive thanks to C.C. for being a fantastic beta, too - any mistakes left are mine.**

* * *

><p>"Zoro?" a voice whispers softly, and then there's a light shake of his shoulders. "Oi, Zoro!" they try again while a smooth finger prods at his cheek.<p>

The man in question cracks his only eye open, and the ghost of a smile flickers to life for a moment as he swats at the hovering hand. Just a few centimeters of empty space away, an impossibly wide pair of black eyes blink back at him. The trademark scar etched just below the left definitely brings more edge to the otherwise innocent face, and it's so stupid to think of such a thing; his captain's bubbly personality alone flips the idea of him being a widely feared pirate on its head.

That doesn't stop Zoro from admiring, of course – admiring every miniscule detail of Luffy's easy-on-the-eyes smile, every intricate curve of that slender, almost delicate face. He wants to hit himself for that one, knows better than to think of Luffy as delicate. Still, they're close enough that all he has to do is lean forward and - Zoro's breath catches in his throat, a little startled once he realizes where his train of thought is taking him. But he's quick to cover it up, shaking his head distractedly and smothering the urge to 'attack'.

"Oi~ Zoro-Zoro-Zoro-Zoro! Come play Hide 'n Seek with us!" Luffy chirps, obviously well beyond what any normal person would call hyper. The young man never ceases in his provocative tugging on the swordsman's arm, impatiently bouncing on his sandal clad feet all the while, like a great spring coiling before rocketing into the clouds.

When the older pirate hears Chopper's yips of excitement and Usopp's booming laughter (more like maniacal cackling) somewhere in the background, he begins wondering just what the hell kind of sugary monstrosity his fellow shipmates have been shoveling down their throats this fine evening (_or maybe it's morning?_).

"Luffy, not now," Zoro scowls briefly, certainly not menacingly, and his eye slips shut. Unfortunately, said action is not completed before Luffy jostles him one more time and drops his arm with a _THUD,_ the captain's face falling with it. It's a solemn, saddened look that swallows the joyous grin whole, and it seems very out of place on Luffy when this situation doesn't call for such disappointment.

Warily watching his captain now, relief washes over Zoro as the expression is traded for the childish pout that seems to appear every time Luffy is denied what he wants. Alleviation aside, he really wishes Luffy would stop making that face. It's one of the few things in this world that makes his heart stutter and skip beats inside his chest, no matter how many times he's seen it.

"You're no fun, Zoro!" Luffy complains, sticking his tongue out and stalking off not two seconds later.

The swordsman sighs, watching as the infamous straw hat and its owner disappear into the kitchen with a desperate whine of, "Sanji~ FOOD!" And even though Zoro's quite alarmed when no crashes or harsh profanities are shouted in return, he lets it go in favor of the thoughts pestering him.

_How am I- __**what **__am I supposed to say? Can't you just give me a sign that we're still... whatever the hell we were, before Saboady, Luffy?_

With a grimace, he surveys the wide range of blue sky before him, as if it holds answers, and nearly screams in frustration. But, of course, he doesn't resort to that, because it's not what someone as level-headed as Zoro does. The swordsman can't quite come up with an accurate definition of what his and Luffy's on/off fling was before everything went to shit at Saboady Archipelago; Kuma put a wrench in their jubilant family of misfits, as well as his relationship, and Zoro's sure he'll never stop wanting to give the Warlord hell for it.

Maybe they could have been called lovers, considering the plethora of memories he owns in which himself or Luffy had wordlessly dragged the other into the crow's nest for the affair of clinging and groping; limbs tangled in a horribly confusing fashion as nails left burning trails down his chest (he never allowed Luffy to scratch his back in any way- "scars on the back were a swordsman's greatest shame," after all). That was also when he found out Luffy was ticklish. The younger pirate couldn't, and probably still can't, be touched in certain places without exploding in laughter or obnoxiously snorting. It was a piece of information he abused mercilessly, teasing his captain with fingertips that danced across his abdomen, because those sounds made his heart sing the fucking Hallelujah Chorus.

Unfortunately, all the ruckus it caused often had the other Straw Hats wandering towards their location out of curiosity, and Zoro can't even count how many times he and Luffy mad-dashed clear across the deck, naked as the day they were born, in hopes of continuing whatever they'd been doing. It really wasn't all that complicated, now that Zoro thinks about it. Basically, things morphed into casual sex. Mostly because the chance of getting caught was too thrilling to pass up and, as Zoro later came to understand, said possibility fueled the furnace of lust like the apocalypse was upon them. And yet, who could blame them? They hadn't known back then if they would even live to see another day. The Grand Line wasn't called the "Pirate Graveyard" for nothing, after all. Still, it really was an absolute miracle they hadn't been found screwing at least once as their number of shipmates steadily rose.

To this day, Zoro still isn't completely sure whether or not Robin used her powers to spy on them, bringing the phrase "the walls have eyes" into literal terms. It was suspicions like those that had prompted the swordsman to glance about the room with narrowed eyes when his you're-being-watched and pervert-alert senses tingled - but then his captain would wriggle beneath him and Zoro's attention was brought back to current activities with an angry snap of, "OI! NO BITING!"

The dark-humored woman giggled every damn time Luffy sat next to him, and always lingered in the vicinity of their last make-out session. Call him crazy if such things weren't reason enough to have put unwavering faith in the belief that their female nakama was as much a pervert as Franky, Brook, or, dare he say it: Sanji.

And when such ferocious acts of more-than-friendship-ness weren't being carried out, Zoro admits that somewhere along the way he'd developed an addiction to Luffy. Whatever anyone else thought, the naïve pirate was intoxicating in his own way, and Zoro couldn't get enough.

Yet another flaw in the grand scheme of things was that, well, they hadn't exactly hurled themselves too far out of the closet; where all the world and their shipmates were free to openly gawk. They'd never told... anyone, really. Zoro can't help but wonder what could have been if they had. Would they be any closer than they are now?

The swordsman feels a deep longing and regret settle in the pit of his stomach at the thought. He imagines that same thrilling connection of lips from so long ago, a thing that he'd failed to take advantage of then and now misses with such a passion that it leaves him breathless. Those moments were too few and too far apart, so disappointingly short-lived. It feels like someone has just punched him in the stomach when he recalls the days where those fiery kisses had made Luffy tug at his shirt and invade his personal space. The goose-bumps of anticipation having arisen on his skin with those fingertips grazing down his chest and a whispered breath of Captain's Orders that would leave even the most fearsome pirate stuttering madly. Who had he been to deny Luffy?

Distantly, Zoro remembers that Usopp once attempted to follow them, having misunderstood what they were getting up to and requested he join them. Needless to say, the coward was sent running in terror at Luffy's infuriated, genuinely offended glare, and words the swordsman won't soon forget punctuated by an amusing stomp of a foot: "Are you crazy? I can't share Zoro, he's mine! So there, Usopp, you can't have him!"

All hell had broken loose in the seconds that followed. Perturbed yells of, "You are so fucking dead, Luffy!" and a face set ablaze with the glaringly obvious implications were the main part of Zoro's reaction. Then he had chased his chortling captain to each corner of the deck, screaming that he was serious about drowning the bastard for it. He would jump in to save Luffy later, anyways, trying to smother a grin because of the little squeeze of happiness his captain's declaration had given him.

Outside ship-life, battle hadn't permitted conversations, and the alternative was subtle touches bestowed upon tan and fair skin alike, promising with unparalleled certainty some form of closer contact later that same night in either pirate's hammock.

Lo and behold, this is where the cuddling ensued.

It had always been a reoccurrence since the very beginning of their togetherness. The pair were still screaming their insane dreams to the wind, counting the stars in a cramped dinghy that offered no ample room for any kind of separate sleep whatsoever, when the great cycle of snuggles began. Zoro supposes it became a bit of a habit for both Luffy and himself, the head of the Straw Hat captain typically resting upon the myriad of scars cut into his first mate's chest and a pair of muscled arms keeping him where they felt he belonged.

Even when Merry Go had been presented to them, breaking from this tradition seemed impossible. Foggy memories of seeking closeness and flopping down on different bunks after managing to find his counterpart in the darkness of the men's cabin are still ever-present. Zoro doesn't deny that he somewhat enjoyed those moments (_More than enjoyed_, his mind chides snidely), and sorely misses them now because they don't happen anymore.

**None** of it does, actually.

Despite knowing that, his blood is pumping like Franky's cola to the Sunny, heart damn close to beating out of his chest as a consequence, and it really **hurts **- a lot more than he suspects it should. His stomach is an absolute mess, still flip-flopping all over; it's fluttering like butterflies on steroids are batter-ramming into some metaphorical exit with all their might.

_So they're Mystery Butterflies_, Zoro muses, the smaller pirate's adorable "aha!" face flashing in his mind quickly. He squeezes his temples between the heels of his hands with a groan and just barely refrains from slamming his head onto the railing as hard as he can. Everything goes back to his captain, it seems.

Why did one simple, short, insignificant conversation with that kid make him unravel like this? Zoro doesn't do that for anyone but Luffy, not even Kuina, although he wouldn't say his feelings for her were even remotely similar to what they are now for Luffy. It scares him. Zoro can't pretend that everything was no-strings-attached. Hell no, it wasn't! Those strings are still tied so tightly that they feel like they're cutting off his circulation.

"_You're in looovvee~" _a voice, supposedly locked in a faraway corner of his mind, taunts bitingly.

It sounds suspiciously like Sanji.

It's... true, despite how horrifying and yet somehow elating the thought of loving Luffy is. The way Zoro imagines it, outright rejection or uncomprehending silence would be the immediate answer to his confession, and this scenario nags and screams to be heard above all else. He wishes he could just say to hell with the consequences, but he can't lose Luffy.

Luffy can understand the simplicity of sex just fine, obviously has more than enough experience, but Zoro isn't so sure his captain realizes that there's an actual relationship thriving somewhere in between. At least, feelings have always been a part of it for Zoro. And maybe that's just it; maybe Luffy has never been on the same page as him and Zoro's just begging for a broken heart. It isn't a fun thing to dwell on, but it keeps surfacing and surfacing until he's unable to just stop thinking about it.

_"So... you're a bad guy?" and there's barely even a pause for breath before another statement is fired off with all the nonchalance in the world. "I'm looking for people to join my pirate crew."_

_"Pirate? Heh!" Zoro laughs mirthlessly, pondering the boy's opening question but not commenting on it just yet. "So you're another one of those suckers... just gave up on life and became a criminal, eh?"_

_"Oi, watch it! That's my dream!" the boy suddenly grows hard-eyed, "There's nothing wrong with being a pirate."_

_"Hmmm?" Zoro half-smirks, half-grins in that way of his that sends people running, something occurring to him. "I don't suppose you're going to force me to join, after you untie me."_

_"Haven't decided yet," the young pirate ducks his head and adjusts his hat with a poorly hidden grin. "I thought I'd check you out before making that call, since everyone says you're a bad guy."_

_Well, that's different from anything Zoro's ever heard, and he's sure it shows on his face: blatant intrigue. _

_Zoro sighs, but the sound is inaudible. "...A bad guy, huh?"_

Reminiscing was never on Zoro's to-do list, so he doesn't know why the reminder of their meeting comes rushing back to him all at once. But lo and behold, there it is, all splayed out in front of him: a simple boy. That was it. A seemingly ordinary young man who appeared out of the blue when Zoro was at his lowest, in the "most pitiful condition of his life" up to that point.

He was languished, bloody, hungry because of those damned guards taunting him, and just all around dizzy from the blistering heat. One more detail played a huge factor in their meeting besides _fate_ and _destiny - _all those other superficial names you could call a chance event like this one. It was, of all things, Zoro being tied to a splintery pole in the yard of some Marine Base, as punishment for protecting a few civilians from the wrath of some spoiled brat who allowed his vicious wolf, an animal literally born and bred to be wild enough to attack the human population, do that very thing.

He had already sat outside that dreadful marine base for nine days. _(It's only for a month, then I'm out of this hell-hole for good, _he'd been thinking, the phrase repeating like a broken record through his head as the days seemed to drag on longer.)

Then, Luffy blurted the question without a care, with no regard for how offensively it could be taken.

And it **was** offensive, incredibly so. Zoro remembers it had actually hurt just the slightest bit that Luffy even sought to investigate such a thing. (He admits he hadn't known him well enough yet to understand that Luffy was just brutally honest with everything and anything that moved. He should've known, because everyone else who glanced at his "scary" face automatically assumed that, yes, he was definitely evil and to be avoided at any cost.

His grin had turned feral when Luffy told him he'd set him free and take him aboard his ship – not as a prisoner or whatever Zoro might've been thinking, but to join him; to be his **friend**. It was laughable, really. He wanted **Zoro** to join his pirate crew? Honestly, he'd been expecting the boy to run for the hills with his tail tucked between his legs, him being a famous pirate hunter and Luffy being, well, a pirate. That's mainly why it didn't add up when nothing of the sort happened - the kid was fearless and Zoro tried not to be impressed. Luffy's dark eyes were intense, and even now Zoro rarely saw that intensity dim. It was enough to make him shudder, Luffy trying so hard to convey that he was not to be sent off with a sharp glare that easily. Not him.

_He's nothing special, he's the same as every other damned fool out there,_ Zoro had reminded himself, over and over again, willing himself not to be sucked into that contemplative stare; it was unnerving, irksome, reminded him of a long-dead friend who, once upon a time, expertly handled swords.

After all, nobody ever bothered to deal with Zoro kindly, such a thing was preposterous when they thought it would get them nowhere.

He had never answered Luffy's initial question, he realizes, because he honestly hadn't known the answer. The only thing Zoro had known back at that time was that when he'd been reliving the past – hearing the smack of two bamboo swords ricocheting off of one another so clearly, and thinking of Kuina, a girl who could only be described as one huge hole in his heart that had never quite filled properly - Luffy had been standing right there as he snapped out of it. Right in front of Zoro, like a gift from above that screamed _he's it, he's here, he's your beginning and end_.

Because, really, looking back on it now, he swears it was a sign that the younger pirate would soon become someone very special to him; a dear friend to be protective over even when he knew all too well that Luffy could handle himself. Coincidentally, Zoro falls asleep, dead to the world the second the thought crosses his mind. He surrenders, allowing himself to be lured into a homey dream - well, memory, he supposes - just as fast.

_Zoro gasps and, head snapping up swiftly, he tries in vain to grab his swords. His eyes are wide, breathing ragged and heavy as he snaps out of the trance memories of __**her**__ always induced. The swordsman focuses on the thrumming of his pulse, commands it to slow. "Huh?" he grunts, noticing the shadow darkening the ground before him, and his eyes travel upwards to see the same kid that pestered him earlier._

_"Yo," the boy raises a hand far too casually, like they __**know**__ each other._

_The condescending sigh escapes before he can stop it, "You again? Leave me alone already, I don't wanna be a pirate!"_

_"I'm Luffy," the odd character suddenly gives his name, but offers no further introduction. "If I loosen those ropes, you're gonna become my nakama, 'kay?"_

_Zoro grimaces, almost growling at the (apparent) pirate in front of him. Luffy's invading his bubble, inches from his face now, and it annoys him to no end that he can't back away. "I thought I'd made myself clear last time, dumbass! I have things I need to do. Besides, I'd rather not sink to the level of a pirate."_

_"Does it even matter? You're already known as the 'evil pirate hunter' anyway."_

_"I don't care what society thinks. There's not one thing I've done in my past that I regret, and the same will be true for my future," he glares harder. "I won't become a pirate!"_

_"Don't care! You're joining me!" Luffy barks in a clipped tone, only adding to the effect when he crosses his arms defiantly and puffs his cheeks out in one of the most childish displays Zoro has ever seen._

_Zoro gapes, bristling defensively. Who did this __**boy**__ think he was? "You can't just decide that by yourself!" he shouts, incredulous. _

_"Hey, you use a katana, right?" the straw hat spits out another random question, never ceasing to keep Zoro guessing about the things he could be thinking or what is going to come out of that forever-grinning mouth next. Honestly, it's the oddest, most mind-boggling thing he's ever come across; this new creature called a 'Luffy'._

_"Well, yeah..."_

_"Where's it at?"_

_"Somewhere in the base, 'cause that damn brat took it. It's... something I treasure most, aside from my life anyway." Zoro has to ask himself why he includes that last bit, it isn't something he tells just anyone, and he's already decided Luffy isn't… special._

_"Treasure? Hmm, must be something great!" Luffy points a finger towards the building, catching Zoro's attention further. "Guess I'll go find that 'damn brat' and take your katana back, then!"_

_"Wait, what?"_

_"Oh, you know. So when I return your sword you'll have to become my nakama," and the bastard has enough guts to laugh in the swordsman's face._

_"You really __**are**__ dense! And that's just playing dirty, you know!"_

_Luffy merely unleashes another guffaw and runs off, leaving his laughter hanging in the air. _

_Zoro stares, confused and frazzled by the audacity this pirate has. "Is he seriously going to take on the whole base alone? What an idiot!"_

_Then something occurs to him and he wants to slam his head into something; the kid's going in the opposite direction of the base (and oh, the irony of this situation)._

_"Oi! It's on the __**other side**__, you imbecile!"_

_This is not going to end well. But Zoro can't lie - the happy, mysterious boy with the straw hat has piqued his interest._

_Then Coby shows up, and begins untying him. The runt's spouting something intriguing, though. It's all blabber about Luffy going ballistic on Helmeppo after finding out about Zoro's execution coming sooner than expected (he should have seen that one coming, really, there was no reason to be so surprised), and retaliating by punching him so hard it was equivalent to a round fired from a pistol. But the only significant part of the whole speech that has really gotten under his skin is a certain phrase, and it just won't stop echoing across his conscious._

_Luffy had... done it all for __**him. **__By then, it's too late. Luffy has managed to make Zoro let him in._

_Next thing he knows, Coby is caught red-handed, and the Marines are pointing guns at them. All Zoro can think_ _about is he how cannot die here, because he made a promise to a little girl, a "fragile human being" who fell down the stairs and had the heavens steal her soul away not a day after that vow was established. _

_Just when he starts believing this really is the end for him, there's the distinct sound of glass shattering as bullets fly straight at them - and, to Zoro's horror, Luffy is standing right in their path. He waits for some kind of terrible scream, or for the body to drop to the ground, dead, at his feet (and, of course, he awaits the regret for even allowing himself to put trust in someone)._

_But, and this really shouldn't be as shocking as it is, all things considered; Luffy defies the laws of nature as the bullets sink deep into his tan skin, a bunch of thin mountains stringing out endlessly for a few seconds. And then, like some twisted version of a mutant, bullet-proof trampoline, he bounces them right back from where they came. "That won't work!"_

_Who, and what, the hell __**is**__ this guy, exactly? _

_Apparently, he is Monkey D. Luffy, a "man" of seventeen who has eaten the Gomu Gomu no Mi and turned into rubber, proud wearer of a tattered straw hat. The cherry on top, of course, is that he's totally and completely dead-set on becoming the next Pirate King, which he so proudly screams when Zoro asks his identity. What. The. Hell._

_"Become the Pirate King?! Do you even understand what you're saying?!"_

_"The Pirate King is the Pirate King... what else could it mean?" Luffy replies matter-of-factly, and everyone just stares at him like they've just witnessed him finally derail from a little thing called sanity._

_But Coby's eyes shine behind his glasses, beaming at Luffy in admiration. "I was surprised, too, but Luffy-san is real serious. He will become the Pirate King, and find One Piece, the ultimate treasure. I just know it!" _

_Zoro's mouth falls open in shock at the amount of faith the words carry and Luffy laughs awkwardly at the attention, scratching at the back of his neck sheepishly while he grins a mile wide. He blinks suddenly and holds out the three swords previously strapped to his back. _

_"Here. I couldn't tell which one was yours, so I just took 'em all!"_

_"I own all three. I use three katana to fight..." he fidgets, shoulders rolling in hopes of getting his arms free, waiting impatiently to finally, __**finally**__ take his beloved swords back. _

_Luffy hums, frowning slightly for a reason Zoro can't identify before he's all smiles again, shoving the swords into Zoro's face, "You'll take them, right?" The straw hat's smile widens, and his tone rings mischievous, playful. "But if we fight together, you'll owe me. You get to pick, I guess, so... which is it, killed by Marines or becoming my nakama?"_

_Zoro resists rolling his eyes. He knows he owes him, just for getting his damn swords, but now he's truly indebted to Luffy. The kid's saved his life. Still, he declares, "You're the son of the devil!" and his grin amplifies indefinitely. "Fine! I'd rather be known as a pirate than die here."_

_"Awesome! You'll be my nakama, this is perfect! Yahoo~" Luffy exclaims animatedly, doing a bizarre victory dance with Zoro's swords involving raising them up and down repeatedly... in the middle of a fucking Marine Base's courtyard like it's the most normal thing he could be doing in this situation. Seriously, what on earth is __**wrong**__ with this kid? Zoro has the sneaking suspicion that Luffy is asked that question quite a lot, which, unbeknownst to him, is completely correct. _

_Letting it go for now, he just shakes his head and says, "I get it! Now untie me from this pole!"_

_As Zoro predicted from the start, Luffy can't handle the knots, claiming that they're getting tighter instead of loosening. They run out of time. The Marines come at them quickly, intending to chop Luffy, and he quotes, "into little rubber pieces". Thankfully, Luffy manages to get one side undone and Zoro yells for the kid to hand over his swords. _

_Soon, all three katana are released, blocking each and every sword the soldiers hold. He hears Luffy squealing about how cool he is, the Marines scared for their lives behind him after a very effective threat. Then he decides, just for the hell of it, right there and then, to make the conditions between him and his new captain crystal clear. _

_"I promised I'd be a pirate with you, and challenging the Marines will make me a wanted man. That's all fine. However, there's one thing you must honor: I will always follow my __**own**__ ambitions!" _

_"Ambitions?"_

_"To become the World's Greatest Swordsman," Zoro states firmly. "If you ever do anything that jeopardizes or causes me to abandon my goal, you must end your own life, by my sword!" _

_"World's Greatest Swordsman? Hmmm, that sounds nice!" Luffy's voice is filled with awe, eyes sparkling. It isn't hard to tell he's thrilled at the prospect, talking about Zoro's dream like it's his own. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you, since you're going to be the Pirate King's nakama. I'd be in a dilemma if you couldn't accomplish at least that much!"_

_"Heh! Indeed," he scoffs._

_They fight Morgan, but Zoro stands back for a while, watching Luffy's insane display of strength before the pirate finally pins the Marine Captain, punching angrily and accusing him of sullying Coby's dream. Then - what a surprise - that idiotic son of Morgan's comes running out into the courtyard like a maniac and pulls a gun on Coby, threatening to blow the kid's head off. Luffy begins standing up. Coby continues whimpering when the barrel of the gun taps his head every time Helmeppo's hand trembles, worried the trigger will be pulled accidentally. Then he glances at Luffy, blinks owlishly, and there's realization in his eyes once he looks away. Zoro wonders what the hell happened, but has a brief, crazy thought that Luffy is magical and decides not to go down that road._

_"Luffy! I don't want to interfere with your dream, even if I die!" Coby yells._

_The straw hat grins calmly, reassuringly, and all the more convincingly when he slaps a hand onto his bicep as if prepping for a punch - not that he isn't, because there's no way Luffy's passing up yet another chance to pummel Helmeppo. _

_"Hear that? Coby's serious..."_

_"I am the great Marine Captain, Axe Hand Morgan!" the overconfident giant roars, "sneaking" up behind Luffy, but the boy doesn't even blink or stop smiling or budge from his stance of the punch he means to aim at the man's son. It's a show of trust, Zoro quickly realizes. Luffy trusts him with his life even though he's only truly known him for a few hours, and it makes something inside him clench in a pleasantly painful way. Clamping down on Wadō with his teeth, Zoro moves with swiftness unseen and slices at Morgan, stopping the fatal movement of the axe that would have chopped Luffy in half just as it lightly taps the straw hat upon his head. _

_"Nice..." Luffy chirps, unfazed, his arm slithering back into place with a sharp snap while Morgan shouts in agony and falls to the ground like a tree trunk, "Zoro." _

_The way he says his name, his tone when he uses it, makes Zoro grin around his katana. "It was nothing. Just doing my job..." pausing, he tests the foreign word, "Captain."_

_The image of the Marine base fades and suddenly they're eating in the little girl and her mother's café. Luffy's telling him about how it's just going to be them in the crew until they stumble upon more people he thinks - no, wants and/or __**demands **__join. In his case, blackmail. He's a little startled to find that this fact doesn't bother him as much as it should. Shaking it off, Zoro looks out the window to see exactly what their "pirate ship" is like._

_He quirks an eyebrow, disbelieving. "...That?"_

_"It's small now, but I promise I'll get us a reaaaally big one!" Luffy yells enthusiastically, gesturing with his arms just how big the ship is going to be. _

_Zoro doesn't think anyone's ever gotten him to laugh so hard in his entire life. _

* * *

><p>It's remarkably warm. That's the first thing Zoro notices as he wakes up from his dream, not bothering to open his eye to identify the source. The heat is extremely comforting, after all, though he doesn't know why. Feeling oddly compelled, Zoro pulls the warmth closer, hugging it with a visceral need. It's only when the warmness groans, and something that feels distinctly like a pair of arms squeeze tighter around his middle that Zoro's eye snaps open.<p>

Someone is cuddling him, intimately, and all he can think of is the endless possibilities of it **somehow** being the Love-Cook or Usopp, and maybe even worse: Nami. _Please, please let this be Robin playing some sort of retarded prank._ But, no, it couldn't be, because his gaze is met with a mop of unkempt raven-colored hair. And he's so damn happy about that simple color that he must be glowing like a firefly; it's really been too long since this has happened.

"...Luffy?"

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><p><strong>Let me know what you guys think of it so far! Expect the next chapter very soon, too, as I've already written the whole thing out and only have some minor editing to do.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

**Oh my gosh, guys, look: I'm not updating outrageously late! (This is amazing - usually I don't update for months. Yes, I'm a horrible, awful person.) Of course, that's probably because I had this written months ago, which works out for us all; finals are hell on earth, and now they've come to take my soul and send my stress-levels skyrocketing into oblivion. I'll stop rambling now...**

**...Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"...Luffy?"<p>

"Shhhh, Zoro's a better pillow when he doesn't talk..."

The swordsman's face is priceless: flushed a brilliant shade of scarlet, mouth ajar just slightly as his eyebrows shoot sky-high. And he thinks he better stop, because this is Luffy and this really isn't anything new, even if it's been a long time.

"Zoro's really, super comfy, too. Definitely better than Luffy's bed." His captain continues speaking in third person, a thing Luffy probably isn't aware of. He only does that either when he's around Zoro (the cause for that possibly being that Luffy just **really **likes saying Zoro's name. Not that he's complaining, because Luffy is just so goddamn sweet about it), or when rousing from a passed-out-within-five-minutes sleep. Both of those things, in this case. It's all very surreal to Zoro, like he's only waking from one dream to be put right back into another. The things Luffy's saying, too, don't make Zoro nearly as uncomfortable as one would assume.

"I thought we weren't talking, Luffy?" he jokes, tightening his hold around the smaller boy's waist.

He decides to just go with it and stop thinking so hard, to allow his feelings to run rampant and his thoughts to boomerang around in his skull till they're content. Luffy hums pleasantly in response. He snuggles closer, a smile curling his lips as he lifts his head and blinks blearily a few times before settling his gaze, studying his first mate.

Zoro holds the soul-searching stare right along with him, trying to burn Luffy's smile into his memory. He looks sleepily content lying in the swordsman's arms, and in that same moment Zoro just thinks _god, he's beautiful_. This epiphany brings a startling question forth, though: what does Luffy think when he looks at Zoro?

"Never mind. Zoro should talk, because the rumbles are nice, and Luffy likes the sound of his voice."

Zoro throws back his head and laughs at that, smiling the smile he reserves only for Luffy. "And what do you want me to say, Captain?"

"Tell me about..." he pauses, eyes suddenly lighting up, "You have to promise to tell me, okay? No matter what!"

Zoro can't help but notice the particularly mischievous look that takes over Luffy's face. Even more worrying is the fact that he isn't talking in third person anymore.

"I don't know, Luffy, I-" and there it is: the dreadfully adorable pout, the puppy-dog eyes that glitter and beg and tease him mercilessly. Zoro can't say no, he legitimately **cannot** refuse this kid when he pulls that face.

"Fine! I promise," he huffs. Nothing could have prepared him for what came next.

"Thriller Bark."

Had Zoro been drinking anything in that moment, it would have been the most epic spit-take the world had ever seen. "Luffy, no. Anything but that. Listen, I know I promised you, but-"

"Yeah, you did - you promised!" Luffy shouts, effectively making Zoro clam up and keep his protests quiet. It's not very hard to do, not with the desperate expression on his face coupled with the fact that Luffy is pretty frightening when angry.

"Why won't you tell me? **Sanji** knows what happened, he told me so when I asked earlier," he spits the words out like venom, and at this, Luffy looks as if he's ready to burst into tears, although he doesn't. "But then he wouldn't tell me what you did to get so beat up. And I don't like it: you're keeping a big secret. So now I'm jealous of Sanji, for knowing things about you that I don't! So, please, tell me why I felt okay after taking all that damage, and then you were the one who looked like he got hit by the Sea-Train!"

Luffy inhales one deep breath and buries his face in his first mate's scarred chest, fingers grappling at Zoro's arms. "It was really scary, you know? 'Cause normally you'll wake up right away, if I poke you long enough. But that didn't happen! And then seeing you all wrapped in bandages... Chopper says those are only for when people get hurt. Well, I guess I would know. I got wrapped in tons of the things after Marine Ford."

Zoro winces, remembering how none of the crew were present to comfort Luffy in the aftermath of Ace's death. He feels like he can't say anything to make this right.

"I'm not dumb, dammit!" the other pirate abruptly explodes again, head jerking up to look at Zoro, but just as quickly drops it back to the man's chest with a dull thud. Luffy sighs and seems to regain some composure. His captain looks exhausted. "Look, I know you were injured pretty severely, and you could barely fight that bunch of weaklings when we helped Camie rescue Hachi. But that's **all** I know, and... what happened to you at Thriller Bark, Zoro?"

"Why do you want to know so badly?" is all Zoro can get out through his panic. He knows it's the worst thing he could have asked the minute he's not feeling the pressure or warmth of another body lying on his, and wow, does it take him by surprise just how much he wants it back. How in the hell did he handle this for two years?

Luffy roughly shoves off of Zoro's chest with a short, aggravated scream, stomach boiling hot with a feeling unlike the previous one. Eyebrows knit in anger, he shrieks indignantly, "Are you even listening to me, Zoro?!"

"I am!" Zoro bellows, furious and growling at the fact that Luffy even wants to discuss this. Now he's on his feet, too, towering over his captain as he grinds his teeth together. "How could you think I'm not? That's the problem here, you saying those things!"

"I **just** explained to you why I wanted to know; don't turn this back on me!"

A voice inside Zoro begs him to stop. It begs and shouts for him to stop right now, or somebody is going to end up diced into rubber squares while the other is sent towards the next island with a Haki-powered punch. But the warning bells go unnoticed in favor of the stampede of anxiety trampling over him. Memories of Kuma swamp his whole being, making his thoughts tangle and trip over each other. It certainly doesn't help to prevent what comes flying out of his unattended mouth next.

"Goddammit, Luffy, you naïve idiot! It's-" Zoro paces the deck briefly, then stops to meet his captain's dark eyes. One look and he swears he's really going to back down this time; there's too much hurt in Luffy's eyes. But, apparently, he's still fuming enough that his voice's volume raises of its own accord. What he wants so badly to be an explanation, maybe even an apology, for his atrocious behavior and basic panic-attack comes out horribly: "You say me being mauled to a bloody fucking pulp by Kuma makes you suffer just as much, and I just - it feels like you're trying to undo everything I did for your sake at Thriller Bark! The whole point was to protect you from this shit!"

"Kuma? What are you even **talking **about?!" Luffy feels a few tears sting his eyes before they drop to the floorboards, anger dissipated. Not a single tear more falls; he won't let it.

Ultimately cracking under the pressure of Zoro's glare, Luffy sinks to the ground in poorly concealed distress and clutches at his head in an attempt to make it stop aching. That ache isn't nearly as bad as the one continuously pulsating through his heart, though, and he wonders what the hell is even happening right now. Zoro has never, ever looked at him like that before. They've never raised their voices to one another before, not like this, not seriously. Even going all the way back to their spat at Whiskey Peak, it was nothing like this.

At the first sign of waterworks, Zoro freezes, scolding and hating himself. (_Why do you __**always**__ screw up everything when it involves him? Can't you control yourself enough to see that you're hurting him?)_ Luffy does not cry, at least not genuinely, unless he's just been totally wrecked. The thought makes him want to storm away, but he can't without trying to fix this.

"Shit. Luffy, I'm sorry," he tries, taking a step towards his friend slumped against the railing of the Sunny, a hesitant hand reaching out.

Luffy shakes his head beneath the straw hat that's been hiding his face, and then he looks up expectantly at Zoro, straight into his eyes like a kicked puppy asking _why?_ The expression breaks Zoro's heart, completely shreds it. He can't breathe, and yet the worst part is it's like Luffy hasn't even heard the apology.

"I'm **trying**, Zoro! I'm trying really, really hard to understand where you're coming from - but I just don't get it! And I never will unless you give me some sort of explanation." He keeps babbling, gesturing wildly with arms that look like noodles. Zoro's not really listening anymore.

He has this deep-seated urge to walk over and just hold Luffy until they both forget this is even happening. Of course, there's another side to that, and it wins, telling him such a thing is forbidden due to the state he's responsible for putting his captain in. After all, isn't he supposed to be protecting the captain, as first mate? That, and he knows he'll say something he regrets if Luffy even touches him right now.

Zoro doesn't want to talk about Thriller Bark and he can't think of a single good reason for why that is. So, altogether, this whole royally screwed up situation doesn't make much sense. So what if Luffy knows he almost died to save his and everyone in the crews' life? So what if Luffy might never look at him the same? What if that turns out to be a good thing? But no, that can't be right, because how could anything good come of sacrificing himse- Zoro stops that train of thought immediately.

Luffy's alive.

That's what matters: the end results. The results he both wanted and expected - like forcing himself to move despite Chopper's vehement protesting; walking around even though his legs felt so numb he regarded them as if they weren't even attached to his body or under his control at all; talking normally after taking in such tremendous amounts of pain.

It was all well worth it if it kept Luffy from appearing so horrified again.

He hates this, drowning in a sea of thoughts and questions.

A low, rumbling growl begins from deep in his chest, and Luffy looks up, startled. Zoro turns towards the open ocean, at all the deep water stretching for miles. He tosses his head back and looks up at the great canvas of sky with its fluffy white clouds plastered randomly about the blue.

Then, Zoro just **screams** like he's going to die.

It's downright blood-curdling, and the shrillness of it is sharper than his katana when it cuts through things much tougher than steel. It seems impossible that a person can make such a disturbing sound. He knows it should be. All of heaven and hell know it. And that's why it perfectly matches the extremity of what echoed around that haunted ship's ruins as he was electrified with Luffy's pain.

Luffy's so shaken, so totally thrown by the sound that he can't even move, petrified. The horror is clear in his wide black eyes as he presses his mouth, barely open in surprise moments ago, into a thin line and bites his lip harshly. Shivers tingle up and down his spine, bumping along repeatedly, while he watches his first mate sway dangerously. There's a frightening moment where Zoro feels ready to pass out; he's gone and over-exerted his lungs' capacity, big time, but he insists he's fine. Just a little winded.

_This is exactly why you don't dredge up the past, Captain. _

And Luffy understands, hears Zoro's message loud and clear just by looking into his eye. It makes his heart leap a little, because the ability to comprehend words unsaid has always been a bizarre kind of telepathy between them, no matter what. It's evidence that, despite their explosive quarrel, this moment is no exception.

Zoro smiles.

The swordsman has just latched onto the railing right next to where Luffy's head rests, the boy's dark orbs still following his and waiting to translate Zoro's next bout of eye-language, when footsteps come thundering towards them.

"For the love of- what are you two shitheads doing? Having some sort of screaming contest? I hate to say it, Luffy, but the Marimo's clearly won."

"Zoro, a-are you... hurt?"

"Forget about him, Chopper, look at Luffy!" _Why that little bit-_

"That was one _Super_scary scream, bro!"

"Yes, I thought your vocal chords had been ripped out by wolves – or maybe you were being maimed and eaten alive."

"Robin, seriously? Was it really necessary to say something like that in this situation? Stop putting horrible images in my head!"

"My eyeballs popped out of my skull in fear that someone was dead like me- oh, wait. I don't **have** eyes to pop out, they're like knotholes! Yohohoho!"

"Will you all just... shut up?" Zoro finally intervenes. Luffy stares up apprehensively, knowing the swordsman is struggling to pretend everything is fine and breathe normally.

Nervousness is slowly creeping up on Sanji, though. Where has he heard that particular roughness in his crewmate's voice before? "Fine, Marimo. Care to explain why you tried to make our ears bleed with whatever the hell that was?"

"'S my best impression of Thriller Bark."

Sanji goes rigid, realization hitting him with a momentous slap. "Oh hell no. Tell me you did **not** do that in front of Luffy."

Zoro avoids his gaze. It flicks briefly to his captain, and something gives a tiny bit more inside him at the look on Luffy's face, like confusion mixed with betrayal. Everyone else is just plain confused, with the exception of Brook. Maybe Robin, too, judging by her general calmness about it all. "He asked, I demonstrated."

The smoker glares, curly eyebrow scrunching with the rest of his face, "What the fuck is wrong with your brain?"

Luffy looks like he wants to say something about that, but nothing seems to be right and he's resigned to apologetically staring at Zoro. And Zoro just shakes his head in disbelief, because how could any of this possibly be his captain's fault?

Nami and Usopp exchange multiple concerned looks, alternating between each other and the puzzled faces of their fellow Straw Hats. Sanji wipes a hand down his face and pinches at the bridge of his nose, almost frantically reaching for his lighter while a cigarette sits at the ready between his teeth.

Sanji's mind is a flurry of activity. He's flung back to Thriller Bark in snap-shots; that outrageous deal made from Zoro to Kuma; a large, balloon-ish paw looming in front of his crewmate; brief moments of consciousness even after Zoro'd thought he'd knocked him out. He remembers tendrils of dread, snaking around him as the two left the area, and he wants to stop remembering. He still wishes that he hadn't been awake long enough to be shaken by the kinds of sounds that one should never have to hear being ripped from their rival's throat. And when he had to actually **carry** Zoro back to the crew once the man had crumpled like a paper doll, was drowning in a pool of his own blood...

The blonde shivers as he returns to the situation unfolding, voice softer but only slightly. "Do you have any idea how friggin' terrifying that was the first time it came out, you shitty Marimo? It sounded like you were being burned alive by the flames of **hell** when you-" he cuts himself off, visible eye flicking in Luffy's direction. "I don't even know if it was worse or not this time."

"I think it may have been slightly worse. Yohohoho!"

A hush falls over them and Zoro opens his mouth, whether to snap or agree he doesn't know, but the quiet is shattered by a boom in the distance. Before the crew can even process it, a good sized cannonball is whizzing through the air and landing with a crackling splash a few feet away from the Sunny.

"Marines!" Usopp shrieks.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**

**Well, here's another early chapter, guys! I almost can't wait to get this finished, because I know I actually WILL finish a story for once. I also wanted to say a quick thank you to those of you that that have reviewed so far - I really appreciate the feedback!**

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><p>"Marines!" Usopp shrieks, running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Chopper notices and imitates his panic. The rest of the crew stays focused on the navy ship sailing straight for them. It's not all that far away.<p>

_Don't_ _think, just do…_ Zoro reminds himself, springing forward and slicing one of the black balls clean in half before it can hit. "What the hell are you guys waiting for, a more obvious invitation?" he huffs, darting towards another cannonball.

Luffy blinks, then grins in a way that means he's been dying to do something of this sort all day long, "Zoro's right, guys! Let's go!"

Nami runs for the wheel and spins the ship to face their enemy. She blanches a little; there isn't just one ship, but three. "Franky! Get a Coup de Burst ready!"

"Right, Navigator-san!"

Just as she's finished cranking the ship to a better angle for fending off attacks, she hears Usopp thundering up the deck, screaming bloody-murder all the way to her station, "Nami! Nami! Nami!"

She grits her teeth and turns around halfway, hands still gripping the wood. "Spit it out, Usopp!"

"There are two more ships behind us!"

Nami drops her hands from the wheel, "What?!"

"There're two-"

"Okay, whatever, I heard you!" she snaps and hastily orders, "I'll tell Sanji, Chopper and Robin to go handle those ones; go tell Luffy and Zoro to take out the three over here. You're going to help them."

"M-m-me?!"

"Yes, y-y-you!" Nami mocks.

"I think I'm coming down with the can't-fight-three-navy-ships-at-once disease-"

"Oh, shut up! I'm trying to balance this out – so yes, you and the dynamic duo!"

Usopp slumps his shoulders, "Fine…"

Nami steers one more time, trying to get the ship to hold a position where its sides are facing the enemy, but it keeps shifting and sloshing around with each cannonball that hits the water surrounding them. This isn't going to work. She sighs and turns back to her shipmate: "You're in luck, Usopp, I need someone to hold the ship like this until Franky can get us out of here."

The idiot is so happy Nami thinks he might cry. "Really?"

"Yes, but you have to go tell Luffy and Zoro to stay with those three ships first."

He salutes, "Yes, ma'am!" and runs like hell towards where all the action is. "Luffy! Zoro!"

The sniper barely ducks Zoro's half-assed slice, "You're all trying to kill me, aren't you?!"

Zoro stops, stance shifting, "Usopp?"

"Ah, Zoro!" Usopp praises the heavens he's found one of them in all this chaos. "Nami just wanted me to tell you that you and Luffy need to fend off these three ships together."

Zoro blinks, "Wait, **Nami** said? Since when can she-"

"Bye! Have fun slicing things!" he waves awkwardly and hurries away without waiting for confirmation.

Zoro just sighs and goes to find Luffy, who he really should have been taking orders from instead of their navigator. But then he turns around and forgets who he should and should not be taking orders from; one of the ships has gotten close – too close. Soldiers are hopping aboard the Sunny now, which isn't exactly routine. Zoro runs faster.

"Luffy! Where the hell-" and then he spots him, grinning as a few stupid but brave souls point their guns at him, because of course it won't work. And of course Luffy doesn't bother to keep his eyes on the enemy when he sees Zoro coming towards him.

In fact, he waves like a lunatic, grinning a mile wide even though he and his first mate had been screaming at each other not so long ago. "Oi, Zoro! Look, we have visitors this time!"

Zoro can't help getting the slightest bit angry as he watches someone, with a sword instead of a gun, sneak up behind his captain, "Watch out, you idiot!"

Luffy lets out a whoop and turns around, punching the soldier square in the jaw and sending him flying. "Thanks, Zoro!"

The swordsman sighs; what is he getting so worked up for? Luffy can take care of himself, especially now. Regardless, Zoro gravitates towards his captain, tightening his stance when they've ended up back-to-back in a ring of navy officers. Zoro takes a little time to shrug off the top half of his robe, leaving him shirtless and more free to move as he wants.

"Ready, Zoro?" Luffy whispers.

It makes Zoro shiver. "Ready, Captain - I've got your back."

And they're off; Zoro in an endless dance of _parry, slice, parry, slice… _and Luffy effortlessly punching his way through the wall of people on his side. Neither of them even break a sweat, but perhaps the lax way they both handle it is how it happens in the first place. That, and Zoro is thrumming with the need to protect.

The swords are coming fast, aiming for his captain's rather exposed back (Luffy really does trust him way too much in a fight), and Zoro is already blocking with two of his own swords – he can't possibly draw another fast enough, so he moves straight into the hit. He bites his tongue against the fresh stab-wounds at his sides, but Luffy doesn't notice, thank god, and Zoro doesn't make a sound that might tip his captain off.

But then it happens twice more, he's been stabbed a total of six times, and Zoro doesn't dare to jump in front of another sword for Luffy with the way his vision is swimming; blood loss never did anybody any favors, after all.

"Shit," Zoro mutters, because he can **not** let Luffy see how torn up he is. The swordsman curses again as he throws the top half of his robe back on, tightens his sash, and keeps fighting. He should've just cut one of those fucking battle-ships in half when he'd had the chance, and maybe this whole fight would've gone a lot smoother.

It seems to be ages before the shout that means salvation comes: "Guys, hang on to something, we're ready for a Coup de Burst!"

"It's about damn time," Zoro grumbles, breathless at this point, but determined not to show any sign of injury. Thank fuck for his thick clothes, they can hide just about everything. He grabs Luffy by the arm as he runs for the mast, listening to the navy soldiers' panicked shouts as the Sunny takes off into the sky. Most of them fall off, and Sanji sends the stragglers plummeting with a few fiery kicks.

They land back out on the open blue and Zoro takes a deep breath in order to keep upright, telling himself he's just fine. The crew slowly trickles back onto the grassy deck and Zoro steels his features more than ever before.

Sanji takes one look at him and snorts. "What the fuck is with that face – are you constipated or something, Marimo?"

Zoro rolls his eyes. At least, they **think** he does, until he starts falling forward. And with nothing but empty space there to catch him, he face-plants right into the grass. Luffy's victory laughter stops immediately. He pokes his first-mate with his toe, whispering Zoro's name cautiously. His crew stares on in disbelief (because, really, Luffy being **gentle**? It's unheard of!). Their captain shakes and pokes at Zoro, getting more frustrated by the minute.

Eventually growing tired of poking with his feet, Luffy kneels down. He shoves a little bit at Zoro's back, hoping for some reaction, and he gets one alright: blood starts pooling around the swordsman faster than anyone can say "Pirate King", and suddenly Luffy finds his shorts dyed red.

Silence reigns as nine mouths collectively drop open.

"**We need a doctor**!" Luffy wails dramatically, latching onto his first mate and looking as if he's going to shake the man like a rag-doll. "Zoro! Wake up!"

"Kyaaaa! Where's the doctor?! Zoro's going to die~!" Chopper hollers shrilly in response, not helping the situation in the least as his hooves fly up to his cheeks in an oh-my gesture. All his nakama wait patiently (not really) for the inevitable realization.

"Oh, that would be me, right?" The blue-nosed reindeer grins sheepishly.

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><p><em>Why is everything warm again? Luffy and I were... Marines… Thriller Bark... he should be mad, he has no reason to-<em>

Zoro slowly opens his eye, even though he doesn't really need to when he can feel a subtle shift in muscle and expanding of lungs that are not his own – but sure enough, Luffy is lying there, pressed against his bandaged side. The corners of his lips drag upwards at the familiar, heavy-limbed detachment from everything not Luffy.

They're in the medical bay, miraculously crammed onto the single, thin bed that Chopper's squished into a corner of the room. Movement draws his attention to Luffy as he sucks in a sharp breath at the same time his head jerks upward.

"Zoro..." he whispers it like a prayer, and Zoro isn't sure why.

"Hey, Lu-" the green-haired man cuts himself off, strangely embarrassed by the scratchiness of his voice.

Luffy's face contorts. "Zoro needs water."

And Zoro smiles, just a little.

Clearing his throat and attempting to sit up with Luffy still atop him, he tries to speak again, but stops immediately as pain erupts without warning; Chopper must've given him something, but that's long-faded now. His throat aches with a vengeance, his head is pounding so hard he thinks it might split open, and what the **fuck** happened to his torso?

Zoro really wishes he could say it doesn't make him wince and groan, drop back on the pillow and bed behind him, because that's just stupid; he's been hurt worse than this before. Luffy squeaks – actually **squeaks** – in concern while his hands flutter down as if to keep Zoro there.

Oddly enough, that's not the reason for it at all, because Luffy's launching towards him with this expression on his face that kills Zoro all over again. He can't even find it in himself to wince when their bodies collide. Two arms snake around his neck, they pull him forward in a hug that results in Zoro's chin being hooked over Luffy's shoulder awkwardly. Shuddering at the contact, the swordsman returns the affection, albeit hesitantly, like he's afraid to squeeze too hard.

_What the hell am I going to do with you, Luffy?_

Luffy trembles in Zoro's hold. It's barely perceptible at first, but it grows more violent as the seconds tick by and he finds rubber arms embracing him in a way that's constricting. There's something dripping down his back and the sudden noise of a choked-back sob echoes in the otherwise dead-silent room. Zoro's eye widens. He jolts a bit in his friend's arms, surprised by the salt water now soaking into his bandages. He's so jarred by the sensation that he doesn't even bother to ask why Luffy's crying.

Carefully tugging on the shaking pirate above him – because it seems he can't pry the vice-like grip off without somehow sending Luffy into another bout of tears (Zoro doesn't think he's ever going to let that go) – he sits up and scoots backwards, searching for a wall to lean on. Luffy only tightens his arms around Zoro. Finally, after more struggling and a strange keening noise from Luffy that could've been taken as a protest, his back meets with a solid wall.

Zoro sighs and slides Luffy down a couple inches so his captain's head fits snuggly in the crook of his neck, the three golden earrings chiming in protest as their spot is filled. He gives a reassuring squeeze to somehow demonstrate that he isn't going anywhere. In a gesture of comfort and sheer gentleness he's only ever conjured for Luffy, one of the swordsman's hands trails up and down in ghosting swirls across a red-covered back, tracing over the ripples made by Luffy's spine delicately before continuing upwards and petting soft strands of black hair, raking through and twisting them between his fingers absent-mindedly. Apparently, it's done in such a soothing manner that it makes Luffy sigh drowsily, effectively sated.

"Zoro's such an idiot..." Luffy sniffles, hiccupping just once, as his hands clench into fists briefly before releasing their tension. He mimics the trace of circles done to his back on the muscled chest where skin-on-skin contact is separated by tightly wrapped material, and Zoro almost wishes he wasn't wearing a thing.

The swordsman feels the edges of his mouth twitch. "Yeah, he knows."

A snort that passes as a bitter laugh and an equally sarcastic smile are made all the worse by the puff of hot air against his neck as Luffy decides to add, "And I'm an idiot, too, for trying to make you talk earlier."

"Luffy..." Zoro warns mildly, arm smoothing over Luffy's side until it crawls to a stop at his hip, pressing gently on the bone protruding there.

The younger pirate shifts closer and simply mumbles, "Sorry," while one of his hands paw at the air blindly. Zoro wants to ask what the hell he's doing but restrains himself.

The next second, a frustrated groan of Zoro's name is thrown out, and along with it, a hand attached to a long arm begins rubbing over and groping down his whole body from shoulder to thigh farthest from his captain's reach. For a minute, Zoro blushes like a school-girl, his stomach lurching sharply (and he knows, just **knows **his cheeky captain can feel his pulse skyrocket). Zoro doesn't realize just what Luffy is trying to accomplish until he glances down and sees his own hand, the tan appendage lying limp and contrasting strongly against the too-white sheets covering the bed.

He smirks and waits, though, because it's too hilariously cute – the way Luffy is bordering on throwing a tantrum about such a dumb, trivial thing. But Zoro - well, Zoro kind of wants to hold Luffy's hand, too, so he takes it painstakingly slow, fingers slithering and twining with his captain's. The happy noise in the back of Luffy's throat when he nuzzles at his first mate's jaw-line somehow makes their position infinitely better. Zoro caves.

"Luffy?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you... still want to know?" he starts, and the confused look on Luffy's face demands elaboration. Zoro gulps, chest tightening unpleasantly as his gaze snaps to the side, "About Thriller Bark."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes:**

**Here it is, guys - the last chapter! I can't believe I've actually finished a fic and can say I'm happy with the way it turned out. I hope I don't disappoint any of you with the ending, though... alright, enough wallowing in doubt.**

**Enjoy the last chapter~**

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><p>"Sanji-kun! Move over, I can't hear anything!"<p>

"My deepest apologies, Nami-swaaan~!" Sanji noodles to the left a bit, hearts bulging from his eyes. Nami sends a threatening glare his way, because the words are said far too loudly, and it's pretty damn hilarious how quickly the man launches back into serious mode.

Robin smiles softly and squishes the blue-nosed reindeer in her arms further into her chest, nearly suffocating poor Chopper with her giant breasts in the process. Giving a small nudge to their sniper, who has his face glued to the floorboards in order to listen better, she whispers, "Usopp-san, you may want to join us up here. There's a possibility of Zoro cutting your nose off or Luffy grinding it into dust if they see it poking through that crack."

With a huffed laugh, Usopp surges up, for once not greatly disturbed by Robin's graphic descriptions. He crosses his arms and leans against the door frame in an I-know-something-you-don't stance, smirking for reasons to be revealed. "Ah, but you can't actually **see** what's going on in there right now, can you?" his smirk widens. "I can. And let me tell you personally, Robin. You're missing out on some juicy, yaoi-blog-worthy pictures right now. Big ti-"

Chopper squeals and squirms. His eyes widen dramatically and he just barely contains a loud yelp as Robin tightens her grip on him dangerously. The ship's doctor is then thrust at Usopp with enough force and speed to give the reindeer whiplash.

"Please take Chopper. We are trading places." Her deceptively sweet smile says it all.

Usopp is snatching their tiniest crewmate and zipping to the back of the kitchen faster than he's ever avoided anything in his life.

"Oi! What's going on? Dammit, I wanted to listen, too!" Franky whines from his place near the stove, too big for Nami to allow him to huddle by the infirmary door with the rest of the Straw Hats.

Sanji narrows his eyes into slits, curly eyebrow scrunching together like a caterpillar, "Shut the hell up! I really want – no, I **need **to hear this."

Robin looks up briefly from the door's crack, her curious eyes locking with the only other female's. Nami speaks up for the both of them, "Why are you so interested, Sanji-kun?"

Realizing it's a woman speaking to him, the cook subdues the urge to bite another head off for daring to open their goddamn mouth, "This Marimo might just be the biggest idiot here, excluding Luffy. He's revealing all kinds of deep shit I never dreamt that he could, or would, even on his death-bed."

Nami just shrugs at Robin and returns to pressing her ear against the door.

* * *

><p>Zoro stares blankly at the ceiling. There's no way he can look at Luffy, so he tugs him closer and feels arms wind around him in return. "You already know that Kuma showed up, right?"<p>

Luffy just nods.

Zoro closes his eyes. "Nobody could do anything about it; all of our attacks just bounced right off him. One attack from him, though, and everyone on our side was down – the whole crew plus the people living on Thriller Bark – they were all dead or knocked out. He kept offering to spare our lives before that, but-" Zoro clenches his teeth, "he wanted your head in exchange."

"Zoro-"

"We flat-out refused, so he bombed the place. I was awake, by some miracle, and I saw Kuma going straight for you. He even got ahold of you for a second, but I'd be damned if I let him walk away with my captain, so I took a slice at him and managed to land a hit.

"It didn't do any good. The guy was made like Franky is now; a whole lot of metal and weapons. Pacifistas are a pain in the ass, and I couldn't even make myself move at that point. I asked him why he had to take your head, and his shitty answer was that it was as far as he was willing to compromise. I wouldn't fucking stand for it; no way was he taking you from us, and he would just kill everyone if some other kind of compromise wasn't reached, so I-"

Zoro stops, unsure if he should continue. It's not too late; he hasn't gotten to the root of this whole mess yet, and he's only one sentence away from spilling his secret. Luffy's been surprisingly quiet at his side throughout the whole explanation, and when he does speak, Zoro can barely hear him.

"I saved him, you know."

It takes Zoro a minutes, but then it clicks. "You mean Ace."

Luffy squeezes his hand. "Yeah, Ace."

"But didn't he…"

"Die? Yeah, he's dead." Luffy smiles and Zoro wonders how he can do that while talking about the loss of a brother. "I got him out before that though – saved him, Zoro – but then he decided to save **me**." The bright smile turns into something far sadder, and it makes Zoro ache. "Did you know that magma is stronger than fire? They're both so hot that I didn't think it could be, but… well, I found out the hard way that that wasn't true."

"Luffy, you know don't have to-"

"But I need to tell you something, Zoro." Luffy nudges him on his aching torso and Zoro stifles a gasp.

"Okay, okay, go ahead, just don't do that again."

"I really missed you, even if you like to snap at me," he grins.

"Idiot," Zoro says, too fond to be insulting.

Luffy grins wider. "Well, you guys brought this idiot back. After Ace, I was ready to just give up; didn't even want to be Pirate King anymore, if you could believe it, but then I remembered how you and the others were all waiting for me and… that was it, I knew I could keep going if I just had you."

"Y-you," heat crawls up Zoro's neck, "Goddammit, stop doing that!"

"Doing what, Zoro?"

"Making me want to spill my guts to you!"

"Just do it then and maybe I'll stop!"

Zoro finally just spits it out. "I made a deal! I convinced Kuma to take my head for yours!"

Luffy goes rigid. "Zoro…" he's livid in the next second, and the swordsman is surprised that he hasn't already been punched in the face. "I didn't ask you to! I didn't ask Ace, either, and now he's-"

"You were more important, okay? You had your dream and mine just suddenly – I didn't care about it. I didn't care about being number one if you weren't there to climb to the top with me."

"That's not what you said when we met; if I got in your way, you had every right to kill me. And I did, so you should've just let Kuma-"

"Things change, Luffy! I'd fucking follow you into hell if you asked m-"

"Shut up, Zoro!"

"No, you wanted me to talk, so I'm talking," he glares. "I mean, what kind of first mate can't even protect his captain? And the others needed me to do something just as much as you did. I was stubborn and wouldn't let Sanji do shit when he woke up. So I gambled on surviving Kuma's test, took in all the pain you went through for myself and I lived. I'm here, I'm alive, you're alive – that's the end of it." Zoro drops his head back, sighing, because that's not the end of it. He wants to scream to the world how glad he is that Luffy's alive; that he's right here, in his arms, fierce as the day Zoro met him.

Luffy's glare crumbles, his soft tone holding more pain than his screams when he says, "You still could've died."

Zoro's own voice drops, "I didn't."

Luffy slumps against him again, apparently sick of fighting.

"Zoro, I'm going to punch you if you don't stop belittling what you did."

Or maybe he's just done with the verbal kind of fighting.

Zoro rolls his eyes, "I'm not belittling- shit, ow! What the hell, Luffy?!"

Luffy withdraws his fist and shrugs. "I did warn you."

"I didn't even say anything!"

Luffy doesn't look at him. "It was payback, then, for Thriller Bark **and **earlier today. Stop trying to get yourself killed over me."

Zoro can't promise that he won't, stubbornly keeping his silence.

"Oh, and Zoro?" Luffy taps at his collar bone and loosens his grip as he sits up.

"Wha-" the word gets swallowed by an open-mouthed kiss. It's over too quickly - he barely has time to enjoy it after the initial shock - and Zoro's left staring at midnight black irises in a daze.

Luffy's face is calm when he tells him, "That was a thank you."

"Do you ever get the feeling that the world's just stopped, like it doesn't exist?" Zoro blurts. He doesn't mean to say it at all, and the question is so totally out of place that he wants to run outside and jump overboard.

Luffy's alarmed look makes his outburst even worse. "Zoro... what?"

Well, fuck, now he has to explain or suffer endless pestering.

"You know, like the whole world has just stopped and gone away," he says, squinting at the ceiling like it's done something offensive, "and there's nothing but where you are, or who you're with, or what you're doing: do you ever feel like that?"

"Hmmm, no," he shakes his head, back to tracing circles on Zoro's chest. "But when we kiss or I'm just lying down, here, with you; then yeah, I think I have."

Zoro literally can't stand waiting another second. He hauls Luffy up towards him, without protest surprisingly enough, and kisses him for all he's worth. Zoro wasn't wearing much to begin with, but he decides that Luffy is wearing far too many clothes. He slides his hands under the red fabric of Luffy's open vest and attempts to slip it off his shoulders, not expecting to have his hands slapped away before he's even really done anything.

"Nope," Luffy says cheerily, jumping off the bed, "Zoro's injured."

Zoro gawks. "You can't be fucking serious."

Luffy only laughs at him and heads for the door. He swings it open and instinctively sidesteps as Nami and Sanji lose their support and dog-pile onto Robin, who lets out a soft gasp as she's suddenly sandwiched between her crewmates and the deck.

Luffy cackles at their predicament, but Zoro blanches. "How long have you guys been there?"

Sanji looks at him from upside down, having landed that way, "Long enough, shitty swordsman."

Robin manages to use her powers to lift Nami and Sanji off of her and help the two of them to their feet.

"Nami-san," she says, "Luffy and Zoro tried to eat each other's faces; you owe me 100,000 berry."

Nami dissolves into tears. "My money!" she wails, but then grows neutral frighteningly quickly as she walks out the door. "Fine, whatever, a bet is a bet."

Zoro wants to die. Or kill someone. "You were **betting** on us?"

Luffy keeps laughing, like this is the most hilarious thing in the world, and Zoro glares at him before turning back to Robin, "How long?!"

"Since Franky joined the crew."

Luffy snorts loudly, "Zoro! She could've won so much earlier than this if all we had to do was kiss!"

"That's not the point."

"We did sooo much more than kissing-"

"Shut. Up."

Robin smiles to herself. Zoro catches it and- oh god. Oh **god**, his suspicions about her perviness were dead-on. She knows **exactly** what Luffy's talking about.

Usopp pokes his head in the doorway, sees Zoro's murderous expression as Sanji and Luffy both roll on the floor in laughter, and promptly leaves to go hide with Franky. Today is not his dying day, no sir, it is not.

Eventually, and shockingly, Luffy kicks them all out of the infirmary.

"We're good, right?" Zoro asks, breaking the silence.

Luffy whirls around and gives him one of those grins that has Zoro falling in love all over again. "Of course!"

_We really are okay... _And Zoro lets his head drop back against the wall with a small smile at his captain's unhesitating words, because when all was said and done, that was really all that mattered anyway.


End file.
